Safety device for disintegrating machines



Nov. 3,1925. 1,559,924

G. B. \NILLCOX SAFETY DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING MACHINES Filed April 2. 1924 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE.

GEORGE :B. wILLcox; or SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 'roivrm'rs & MERRILL, or SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING MACHINES.

Application filed April 2, 1924. Serial No. 703,621.

citizen of the United States, residing at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Disintegrating Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' This invention relates to disintegrating machines or cutting machines, as for example, the type commonly known as cylinder 7 hogs, in which a revolvable knife-carrying or blade-carrying drum or cylinder is mounted in a frame having an inlet hopper or throat at one side of the cylinder, and a discharge outlet.

Between the inlet and the discharge openings is a plurality of fixed cutter bars so arranged that material fed into the throat Wlll be out against the cutter bars in sequence, that is, pieces that are cut by the knives against the first bar will be recut against each of the succeeding bars until the finely divided product is discharged from the outlet. 1

These machines are subjected to hard usage and are of massive construction so that they can withstand great internal strains when material that is especially tough or of unusual size is fed to the machine.

It sometimes happens that pieces of iron or chunks of material of unusual size come against the first of the fixed series of cutter bars and are struck by the drum knives or blades traveling at high speed. The resulting unusual impact may damage the machine if the resistance of the material is great enough. Heretofore much difficulty has been experienced from that cause, and also by reason of stray chunks of iron etc. being driven into the series of fixed cutter bars.

It is the purpose of my present invention to provide a simple and effective means by which the first cutter bar of the series, when subjected to excessive strains which otherwise might break the machine, will automatically become detached from its rigid position on the frame and move away freely and automatically from the knives or blades of the drum,-leaving a large opening in the frame through which the obstruction or the large chunk of uncut material may be dis-- charged from the machine before it can come into contact with the succeeding cut ter bars.

My present improvement relates more specifically to an improved means by which the first cutter bar of the series is normally held rigidly to the machine, but is released when the bar is subjected to excessive im.

pact or strain, the release being effected by? the fracture of a safety member or strut,

which constitutes the subject of my invention. The cutter bar then drops away freely from the drum-knives.

lVith the foregoing and certain other objects in View which will appear later in the specifications, my invention comprises the devices described and claimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional side View of a machine embodying my improvement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the strut and its mounting.

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of approved forms of struts.

Fig.5 is an end view of the device for clamping the socket piece shown in Fig. 2.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, 1 is the frame of the hog and 2 the usual revolving drum with knives or blades 3 around its periphery. 4; is the throat and 5 the 'discharge outlet for finished material. 6 is the first cutter bar of a series, 6-9, arranged around the periphery of the drum between the throat and the discharge outlet.

As previously stated, my present improvement relates to an emergency release device for the first bar 6, which is normally fixed with relation to the drum 2, but in emergency is capable of swinging back and thus opening the lower part of the throat 4 to discharge an obstruction therefrom before the obstruction can damage the succeeding bars of the series.

In hogs of this class there has heretofore been employed a safety shearing or breaking pin to hold the bar 6 normally in position, this bar being mounted on a door or equivalent closure hinged to the frame 1. The safety pin was sheared or broken transversely when the door was subjected to a sufliciently heavy impact.

In my present improvement, instead of a pin that yields by shearing I employ a strut 11, preferably applied as shown inl'ligsfl and 2, Where one end of the strutvis seated in a socket 12 on the door and the other end is seated inasocket 13 on the frame 1. The socket 13 is preferably adjustable to ward and from the door. It is formed in a slidable block let that can be adj'usted'back and forth by an adjusting screw 1501' its equivalent, and clamped to the frame by lugs 16 and bolts 17 Thestrut 11 may be made of any suitable material, but I prefer cast iron. 'lhecrosssectional shape of the strut is notessential. it may be as shown in Fig. 3 or Fig. l, or of any other suitable form adapted to break when subjected to sufficient longitudinal compressiomas isa column. This strut, While capable of breaking to permit the door to open When subjected to excessive strainstliat .Would otherwise break themachine, operates in quite a different manner and hascertain advantages over the shearing pin constructions above referred to. pin construction is satisfactory in practice for many kinds of machines,.it is preferable, Where the machine istobe subjected to heavy duty, to provide a form of safety .Clevice that will not becomeweakened by crystallization, or by reduction of cross section caused by incipient shearing incident, to continued use under strains that are Withinthe normal capacity of the machine.

It has been found that shearing pins, owing to the fact that theyare continually subjected to joltsand vibrationsin the normal use of the machine, have-becomeweakened in the :manner stated and that after a sufficient length of time has elapsed they may even give Way undernormal strains.

Using my present strut construction, since the material of the membeinll is subjected to longitudinal compression only, it Will, ith- While the shearing stand such strains and its strength Will not noticeably depreciate with use. It is, hoW- ever, always capable of giving Way the first time the door is subjected to an excessive amount of strain. lh'e arrangeniei i t of the strutis such that it can be'easily and quickly rep ac d by imply swing the door 10 back into Working position, inserting a new strut 11 and tightening it by means of the socket adjusting bolt and the clamping lugs 16.

While l have shown and described only the first cutter bar,,6, of the series as being mounted o i the 'door 10, it is'obvious/that in some instances itmay be desirable to a lso mount, other bars oft-he series, as the second bar 7, on the door, andII, therefore, onoccasionso mount it, without departing from the spiritof myinvention.

.Having, thus described my inyention, hat I Yclaim' and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

V In amachine of th class described haying an inlet th'oat, the be tomfof said throat sli htly n md n h r i l .i dse on hinged, acutter,barfigedpto the end jof said hinged 7 section 3 and forming a continuation i sa d fia k ht b tteini h .pass of material .thereom a do vii v ardly, extending angularly disposed wall on the" in ier .endlof said hinged section and integral therewith, a socket" on thelba-ck of said. vWall at its loyver end," a stationary support, 1 a; second socket adj ustz ibly mounted. on saidsuppor t, a break able,strut interposed betxve en said sockets, said ,strut having ;its c1 o ss section proportioned to Withstand certain predetermined endwise stresses and to ,fail under greater stresses, and means for adjusting said second socket to prevent end, play of said strut, for the p rpese se i or Intestimony whereof, I ,affi-X my signature.

s ones B- it-11mm 

